“Except for you,” Richard emphasised.
“Except for me,” Elizabeth replied in a near whisper.
“William admires you, always has, but I think seeing you again after such a long time took him by surprise,” Richard told her.
The dance separated them, allowing Elizabeth to think about what the gentleman meant by his comment. Finally, she returned to him and asked; “Whatever did you mean when you said I took him by surprise?”
“When my cousin last saw you, you were a girl still, too young to think of as other than a friend. Perhaps he is seeing you in a different light after not seeing you for so long.”
Elizabeth stared at her partner, not speaking for several more turns. “I think you are implying something, sir, though I am uncertain if you are attempting to warn me off your cousin or encourage me toward him. If you are implying that he sees me differently now and is contemplating … what exactly? I know he is an honourable man, but surely with my connections to trade, I am far too low for him to contemplate marrying. Besides, as you have said, we have not seen each other in the last two years.”
“But the two of you have corresponded. Perhaps not as frequently as you have with Georgiana, but I feel certain my ward would have shared each of your letters with her brother. He knows you very well and would not dream of offering anything less honourable than marriage, should he decide he wished it. Nor would he allow your family or his to separate you. Again, I am speculating, but you should not discount yourself. You may have relations in trade, but they are here tonight, are they not? My parents are not at all dismayed by the connection. My mother is sponsoring you in society; she would not object to you.”
Shaking her head as though to clear it, Elizabeth retorted. “I do not even know why you broached this topic. If William—”she paused, shaking her head again. “—If Mr. Darcy desires to pursue a relationship with me other than friendship, then allow him to speak in his time. Your trying to put ideas in my head or confuse things between us will do no one any good. It is best you do not interject yourself into this and raise hopes before it is time. I like William—Mr. Darcy—very much, and consider him a good friend. For now, that is enough. If either of us decides to pursue something different, then allowusto sort things out.”
The gentleman’s laughter surprised her. “You are right, Miss Gardiner, and I will say no more. I do hope you will set William straight in the same manner, should he ever require it.”
It was her turn to laugh. “You have not heard of the day we met, have you? I was rather direct with both Mr. Darcy and his father that day. Despite the events of that day and their potential for a very different ending, I cannot regret what happened, for it brought me into contact with this family. I like your cousins and your parents very much.”
Again, it surprised Elizabeth when Richard laughed at her gibe. “But it also brought me into your life, though perhaps that is not as pleasant a subject after tonight. Regardless, I will endeavour to show you why I am Darcy’s favourite cousin, and perhaps one day you will agree with him.”
Fortunately, the dance ended, and Richard said nothing else when he escorted Elizabeth back to her uncle. Darcy was still standing there, and he gave his cousin a menacing glare. Richard only smirked in reply. Before Darcy could inquire of Elizabeth what he said to her, her partner for the next dance came to claim her. This pattern continued for several more dances until the supper set, when Darcy could reclaim her once more.
“Did my cousin upset you?” he asked immediately after taking her hand to place it on his arm.
Elizabeth sighed. “Not exactly. I was uncertain of his intentions which irritated me a little. I am unsure what he was seeking to accomplish, but I believe he will not importune me again. Ithinkthat after what I said to him, we might be friends … eventually.” She laughed as she said this which eased Darcy’s concerns somewhat.
“What was he speaking about?” he asked again, clearly noticing how Elizabeth seemed to blush at his questioning.
“He … he,” she stammered, before sighing as the dance once again separated them. When they came back together, she blurted: “He hinted that you were attracted to me tonight. I told him not to attempt to raise hopes that could not possibly be fulfilled, and then he told me that no one in your family would object should you and I … I do not know what exactly he was attempting to say. He claimed he was not warning me away from you, and the more I say aloud, the more ridiculous the whole matter seems.”
They were once again separated by the dance, and she noticed how Darcy sought out his cousin with his eyes and glared at him. Uncertain of the meaning, she faltered a little in the dance, and Darcy noticed, quickly pulling her out of the line of dancers. “Are you well?” he asked. “Do you need a drink, some fresh air? Is there anything I might do for you?”
As he was speaking, he led her toward a balcony that would give them a scant amount of privacy. “I am well,” she said firmly. “It is just … as I said, I do not know what his purpose was, and it unsettled me. I told him that whatever there might be between us, it was best for us to sort through it all and that I was happyto be your friend, that if you desired for things to be different between us, that you could speak for yourself.”
“Damn Richard,” she heard him murmur, making her laugh though she was uncertain if it was in relief, in embarrassment, or because of another emotion entirely.
“He is an idiot, but I think he was attempting to be helpful. Elizabeth, we have been friends for many years, and, yes, when I saw you tonight, I think some of those feelings toward you shifted into something else. However, I do not even know what that means at this moment, so clearly, I had not intended to speak of this. I have always cared for you, not in a familial way since my stomach always revolted at the idea that you could be like a sister to me. I did not want you as my sister even when you were still a girl, or at least less of a lady than you are now. We have had a connection ever since we met. I hoped that we could come to know each other again as friends now that we are together in person, which was the purpose of me asking you to ride with me. If I were to ask you for a courtship, that would change things between us too soon, I think, and I am reluctant to do so. Not because I do not wish to court you, but I did not want your uncle to put the restrictions on me that he would if we were publicly courting. Am I making sense at all?”
Elizabeth laughed at this. "Yes, you are, William. And I would like to get to know the person you are again as well. I have also never felt particularly sisterly toward you; toward Georgiana, yes, but not toward you. That was why we decided to be cousins, was it not? I do not want to ruin the relationship we do have, our friendship, by forcing things to change before they should. So I agree. We should spend time in company with each other and get to know these new versions of ourselves before rushing into any decision about the future.”
She almost laughed again when she noticed Darcy seeming to sag in relief. “Thank you, Elizabeth. As usual, you have said it better than I could. If only we had a glass of something so we could toast our friendship.”
Laughing, the pair re-entered the ballroom, unaware of the jealous eyes watching Elizabeth charm the elusive gentleman by her side. Lady Matlock discreetly whispered in a few ears about Elizabeth’s dowry of fifteen thousand pounds, ensuring that word of her eligibility would spread throughout theton. This resulted in a few jealous eyes casting glances in Darcy’s direction as well.
Chapter Fourteen
Just after eleven the following morning, Darcy paid a visit to his aunt’s home, hoping to see Elizabeth. It was too early for morning calls since most of the visitors would wait until mid-afternoon to begin their visits. An early riser, Darcy struggled with the timing of events in town, which was yet another reason he avoided it as often as possible. He hoped that by calling early, he would have a chance to see and speak with Elizabeth privately, or as privately as could be managed with his aunt there.
“Good morning, Darcy,” his aunt greeted him when he entered the drawing room where she and Elizabeth were sitting. Elizabeth smiled at him but was unable to speak. “I told Elizabeth that we would likely see you this morning. Your timing is fortuitous, for I wished to speak to you of our plans for the next several weeks.”
“I do hope those plans include outings to museums and the theatre, else I will have to decline,” Darcy replied dryly.
His aunt turned a shrewd eye on him. “You will attend several events a week with me and Elizabeth since we will need your assistance in squiring her about town, at least for the beginning of the season. She has a few friends, but I would prefer that you attend events with us, especially when my husband or sons cannot.”
Darcy attempted not to roll his eyes. “I will attend whatever events you tell me I must, but I beg that not all of them aredinner parties and balls. You know that I detest events when I am forced to make small talk for hours on end.”
“I do know, nephew. And fortunately for you, Miss Gardiner prefers to go to museums, the theatre, and the opera, along with a litany of other cultural and musical events. While she seems to enjoy dancing, she has already complained several times about the late nights required during the season.”
